Fiebres hemorrágicas por arenavirus en Venezuela

The arenavirus of the New World or Arenavirus Tacaribe Complex are composed by three main groups: A, B and C. Inside B group, Junin, Machupo, Guanarito and Sabia are the latin american arenavirus that cause serious hemorrhagic pathologies. In Venezuela, arenavirus Guanarito is the etiologic agent of Venezuelan Hemorrhagic Fever (VHF), severe disease characterized by fever, headache, sore throat, malaise, followed by abdominal pain, diarrhoea and hemorrhagic and neurological manifestations. The arenavirus Guanarito is maintained in the nature by the sugar cane mouse, Zygodontomis brevicauda, in which the virus establishes a chronic and persistent infection. The disease mainly affect agricultural male workers, between 14 and 45 years old, and the current percentage of morbi-mortality in women and children increases progressively. Nine different genotypes have been demonstrated in the arenavirus Guanarito, being the 6 and the 9 the most pathogens and lethal. Portuguesa, Barinas and Guárico states are considered as endemic areas, while Apure and Cojedes states are considered high risk areas. The VHF has a recurrent behaviour with epidemic periods every 4 - 5 years. Every new interepidemic period is shorter and an increase in morbidity and mortality is presented in every new epidemic cycle. Since the emergency of the disease in 1989 up till October of 2004, 463 cases have been reported with a mortality rate of 30%. Based on the investigations about VHF in 1997, it was discovered Pirital, a new arenavirus whose reservoir is Sigmodon alstoni or cotton mouse, but until now clinical infection has not been demonstrated in humans